Gaming Target - Game Boy: Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure

Written by Daniel Pelfrey on July 12, 2001

Review: How to suffer flashbacks and thumb cramps at the same time.

I am one who loves old school gaming, and one of the great capabilities of Game Boy Advance in the fact that it can not only bring some of the classic titles from gaming's past, but it can also enhance the aspects within as well. I for one am pleased to see such games as Earthworm Jim, Super Mario Advance, and Rayman Advance leading the way by making a comeback in the current age. Another additional classic to come along for the Game Boy Advance's launch is Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure.

The story begins as Harry Pitfall Sr. is kidnapped and your job starts playing through ten levels as his son. Harry Pitfall Jr. must venture through the jungles, ruins, mines and other environments, swinging from vines, and dealing with all of the latest enemies with new weapons to get the job done.

This УnewФ Pitfall adventure is actually a port of an older sequel to the original Atari game, which was released as Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure, coming out approximately 9 years ago for Sega's Genesis Super Nintendo systems. Back during its prime, the original Pitfall was a huge hit for that day and age, and although much of the game remains the same as the Genesis and SNES versions, the level design is to complex for the small portable system. With the problems the Game Boy Advance is known for having with its screen, the fact that many of the enemies within the game are quite hard to see, you would die often enough. This will leave many gamers frustrated and angered as most critters blend in with the background, taking a couple moments to even spot. By then, it's usually too late.

Being a true port of the Genesis SNES title, we unfortunately have been given the exact same controls, which cause more havoc in playing through the game. The button scheme is unquestionably a major problem that results from the console version, and being implanted on a portable system, makes it much harder to pull off the right moves. This leave Harry to be nothing more than a dinner left for the wild in the game's overcrowded jungle setting.

On the other side of the fence, Pitfall's graphics are beautiful and the Game Boy Advance is a testament to what a portable gaming unit can do. Unlike the original game that this ported sequel is based, the backgrounds have all sorts of things going on. Unfortunately, because of the small screen, this can be a problem when you are trying to climb a vine, and unwittingly grab a snake.

The game not only lacks a save feature, but doesn't even contain a password system. This means, to complete the game in full, players must finish the entire game in one sitting. For most people these days, it's quite hard to accomplish this as we immensely rely on a save feature or at least a password system in most games like this. Buried deep within the bowels of Genesis and SNES version of this game, was the real reason to play it; a copy of the original Pitfall. However, the most important element is missing from the Game Boy Advance version, leaving nothing but a feeling of emptiness after completing the game.